The Future of Publishing: Conversing with Books and Authors through AI
Martin Brossman
Results Driven Success Coach, Speaker, Author, Social Media, and Social Selling Trainer
By Martin Brossman with input from Dr. Justin Rose
As the world of publishing evolves, the next frontier is more interactive and immersive than ever before. Imagine not just reading a book but stepping into a dynamic conversation with the book itself—or even its author. This isn’t some far-off futuristic dream; it’s the direction publishing is heading thanks to advancements in AI technology.
A Vision for Interactive Books
Many of us have read several books by the same author, often wishing we could sit down with them to dive deeper into their thoughts and intentions. Wouldn’t it be amazing to not just read Harry Potter, for example, but to ask a chatbot built on the series and J.K. Rowling’s notes, “How many times is Dobby mentioned, and what’s his back story?” AI can make this possible, allowing readers to interact with content as though they’re speaking to the books and the authors themselves.
In the context of technical books, they will become even more useful as references. Each one will no longer be as tightly bound to a particular organizational scheme. Interactive references will make it much easier to find relevant information compared to traditional methods like indexes or diagrams of chapter dependencies. Current electronic versions of books allow free text search, but LLM-powered books will also allow interactive discovery of the semantic connections and themes present throughout the book.
This technology can elevate how we learn and engage with texts. By leveraging AI, books could transform into living, breathing companions, ready to answer questions, provide summaries, or even craft personalized action plans based on their content.
Revolutionizing Author Engagement
Imagine being able to ask Hemingway’s AI persona about his thought process while writing The Old Man and the Sea or query an AI built on my book Relationship Marketing³: The Ground Game for Small Business Success for a custom 90-day marketing plan. It’s not just about enhancing how we read; it’s about transforming books into interactive tools for personal and professional development.
In one of my own experiments with this technology, I envisioned an AI-enhanced version of Relationship Marketing³. Readers could interact with the AI to delve deeper into the concepts and receive tailored strategies to grow their businesses. The possibilities extend beyond convenience; they create new opportunities for practical application.
The Role of AI in the Publishing Ecosystem
From a publishing perspective, integrating AI means:
This model also introduces new revenue streams, such as pay-per-question systems where readers can ask advanced AI systems-tailored queries about their favorite books.
Ethical Considerations and Challenges
Like any innovation, AI-driven publishing raises important questions:
A Transformative Future
As we integrate AI into publishing, we aren’t just enhancing the reading experience; we’re fundamentally reimagining what it means to engage with content. Books have always been doorways to new worlds. Now, they’re evolving into companions that walk beside us, helping us explore those worlds more profoundly.
This is the kind of innovation I’m excited to explore further, starting with the AI-enhanced adaptation of my own works. For authors, this is an incredible opportunity to extend the life and impact of their ideas. For readers, it’s an invitation to connect with stories, ideas, and knowledge in ways we’ve only dreamed of—until now.
All future people who purchase my book, Relationship Marketing, will have access to a custom GPT where they can interact and ask questions. If you were someone who's already taken one of our trainings on relationship marketing by Martin Brossman Associates or you purchased the book, please reach out to us and will send you a link to access our custom GPT. That's in beta now. Please give us feedback on how useful it was or any problems you have. We also offer 101 help in creating something like this and for larger publishing companies, we have strategic allies that can develop the internal AI systems for collections of work that they've produced along with content from the authors, which compliments the books.
Let me know your thoughts. How would you like to interact with your favorite books and authors in the future?
Me introducing the idea at one of our AI Professional Trainings:
Several of our off-the-shelf training (customized training available):
Our individual intro to AI for small business training:
Professional AI training